Elysian Hydra Hefeweizen

Date: September 13, 2009
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewpub
Appearance: hazy orange, frothy off white head, drippy lace
Aroma: big sweet banana candy aroma
Flavor: sweet banana flavor, drying spicyness
Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.3/5.0
Drinkability: 8/10
Score: *** /4

Opaque vibrant yellow. Big bubblegum nose with floral accents and lemon. Full body, but not hugely sweet - some light fruit, light banana, yeast, maybe some wheaty tartness.

On tap at Elysian, Capitol Hill, Seattle. Orange gold colour with lasting white head. Lemony flavour. Good wheat presence. Very competent, tasty hefe. Good lemon, spice, esters, banana. Very good quality German style hefe. Couldn’t pick it as not being German. Bit of hop on end completes the picture. Bit of bubblegum. Nice esters on aroma. Good lacing on glass.

on tap-pours a creamy retaining white head that laces and cloudy yellow color. Aroma is banana, wheat, clove. Taste is banana, wheat, clove, lemony, musty. Nice. Good effervescence.

Draft. Pours a hazy copper body with a thin bubbly head. Banana and bubble gum with a more prevalent lemon grass tartness. Yeasty with a nice spicy character and some pear like esters. Nice brew.

Sample at the Pike Street location. This beer pours a mostly clear yellow-gold color with a thin white head that recedes steadily. Thin rings of lacing on the glass. The aroma is consists of bananas and wheat, along with a touch of yeast. Light, clean body with flavors of wheat, banana and mild hops, along with touches of fruit and clove. The finish is wheaty with a short fruity aftertaste that has a faint metallic tinge, not unlike the taste of Hi-C out of the can back in the day. Decent overall.

Draft at Elysian Fields. Pours depe murky gold with a thin white film that hands around the sides of the glass a bit. Mild banana on the nose, with more prominent bubblegum notes. Attack is mild except for the flavor--all the big banana, clove, and bubblegum you could ever want. Gorgeous and drinkable, just a wee bit on the thick side to be truly refreshing--but that’s a pretty small hair to split.

Had this at Elysian Fields. Standard hefe color with a Bavarian Style aroma. Flavor was the same mostly clove and banana and some citrus due to the lemon that was added before it was given to me. Remember this being very smooth and easy to drink. I can appreciate this though because I have a good idea as to how good it is without the lemon in the glass.